Detroit Tigers trade for Gold-Glove catcher Tucker Barnhart

The Detroit Tigers have completed a trade with the Cincinnati Reds to acquire catcher Tucker Barnhart in exchange for prospect infielder Nick Quintana. Barnhart is a Gold Glove award winner who will bring defense and an upgraded bat for the Tigers.

Immediately following the trade, the Detroit Tigers opted to pick up Barnhart’s option for the 2022 season. He will be paid $7.5 million following the Tigers’ decision to pick up his option. It’s an easy decision for the Tigers front office as they hope to start piecing together their team to make a run in the coming years.

While Barnhart’s 2022 option is for 2022 only, it’s like a trial to see if the Tigers would like to keep him around. Eric Haase had a stellar 2021 season but is likely not fit for the catching role. Jake Rogers had to undergo Tommy John Surgery and will be missing time.

Dillon Dingler is far from big-league ready, so Barnhart’s deal makes sense. It gives the Tigers a nice upgrade at the catcher position for the 2022 season while not giving up too much in return.

The Detroit Tigers have acquired catcher Tucker Barnhart via trade.

Barnhart is an eight-year veteran of the MLB with two Gold Glove awards in his past. He’s 30 and will be 31 when the Tigers take the field again in 2022.  He’s a quality catcher, and the Tigers did a good job getting the most out of this deal while keeping the future intact and getting the best side of this deal.

While Nick Quintana is a former second-round pick, it seemed that Quintana was drafted as a “best player available,” knowing that he could be used as a future trade chip. He’s a corner infielder, and it has not been the smoothest sailing in the minors, but the Tigers were able to get the Reds to bite and secure a catcher for the future.